This half term, our core text is the book ‘Coming to England’ by Floella Benjamin. The children will be planning and writing narratives. The children will be comparing and contrasting the geographical features of the UK and Trinidad and Tobago to aid them in their storytelling. The children will also be reviewing the features of a letter and writing an informal letter in character. The children will be reviewing, editing and up-levelling their work as they go along to correct spellings and include suffixes to add variety to their sentences. The children will also be including coordinating and subordinating conjunctions such as 'if, but and so' to change the meaning of their sentences. 

In RE, children will be focusing on Christianity and the festivals which are important to Christians. They will learn how these are celebrated both at home and within the church.  Children will learn about the importance of the ten commandments and how these guide Christians. They will then reflect on what values guide them in their own lives.

Children will continue to practice decoding, prosody and comprehension during daily reading sessions.  They will also use a range of reading strategies including making connections, predicting and summarising. Children will continue to build on their oracy skills to answer questions using the text as evidence and explore answering different types of questions  to show understanding of the text.  

This half term the children will be completing another DT project. They will be making their own headdress based on their core text ‘Coming to England.’ They will learn about carnival and how to create a headdress using different joins, careful cutting and sticking. They will develop their designs and reflect on their outcomes. 

In maths, this half term Year 2 will learn how to apply their knowledge of measures and will use a variety of scales and shapes to support their understanding of weight, mass, length and volume.  They will also learn about telling the time to o’clock, half past, quarter past, quarter to and identifying the times at each 5-minute interval on a clock.

In outdoor PE, children will be playing attack vs defence games to develop their sending and receiving skills.  They will also learn how to intercept and keep possession of an object away from a defender.  Indoor PE will involve games to involve sequencing different movements  and developing reaction and response skills. 

This term the children will be learning about plants and growing. They will identify and label plant parts. They will carry out an investigation about how seeds germinate for growth. The children will be conducting a fair test to investigate how water, light, air and heat affect germination.  

In computing, the children will be using Purple Mash to create sequenced programs using a variety of events and timers. They will also be continuing to focus on internet safety including how to search for information online and how to spot the difference between factual information and information that is not real. 

In geography, children will focus on the similarities and differences between the city of London in the UK and a city outside of Europe. They will develop their understanding that different countries have their own traditions, cultural customs, symbols and flags. 

Children will learn about economic wellbeing, which includes understanding the role of bank accounts, and the difference between a want and a need.  They will also identify their skills and talents and why it is important to treat people equally and inclusively.

Children will continue to listen and respond to a variety of music genres.  They will learn to sing songs, improvise along to the music using instruments and perform their own compositions. 

• PE every Monday and Tuesday

• Little Wandle reading books are changed every Tuesday and Thursday.  Reading for pleasure books are changed every Friday.

• Homework books are collected every Friday.

• Drop and Read session take place every Friday from 8:35-8:50 am. All parents and carers are welcome to join in with reading.

• Wilderness Trust trip - date to be confirmed.

• Monday 6th May: Bank Holiday

• Friday 10th May: Maths Learning Together Morning 

• Friday 24th May: Last day of term (normal school day) 

• Monday 3rd June: Back to school 

This half term, our core text ‘The Story of Frog Belly Rat Bone’ by Timothy Basil Ering involves around a boy, living in the grim and depressing Cementland, who searches amongst the heaping piles of junk for some treasure, something beautiful. Eventually he finds a box and with an instruction to plant it into the earth. The children will write their own narrative using this story and invent their own version of the monster to protect the treasure. The Battersea Park Zoo trip will support the children when forming a balanced argument. They will discuss and debate whether or not animals should be kept in zoos and whether they are looked after properly. 

In RE, children will be learning about the significance of Easter in the Christian faith. They will  look at the Easter story and discuss the importance of the resurrection of Jesus to Christians and how this represents ‘new life’.  They will make links with their own beliefs and discuss ways that people who die can be remembered. 

We will continue to learn a range of reading strategies and learning behaviours, focussing on the strategies of making connections, clarifying, inferring and evaluating. The texts will have cross curricular links to our learning and we will have a greater focus on non-fiction texts this term, such as poetry and books for information.  The children will read, discuss and explain their ideas and record their opinions based on evidence in the text. They will continue to build on their oracy skills through active listening and putting their thoughts and opinions into meaningful responses, explaining the evidence in the text. 

This half term, the children will be making a finger puppet. They will learn about different types of puppets and how they are made. Children will then explore and come up with their own design for a hand puppet. This will include designing and learning to use simple stitches when sewing on to a fabric or joining two pieces of fabric together. Finally they will evaluate their puppet and think about how they could make it better next time. 

In maths, this half term Year 2 will continue to learn about multiplication and division.   Children will use arrays to support their learning and understanding and when dividing, they will  use repeated subtraction and understand sharing and grouping equally. Please continue to support your child to explore multiplication and division facts with particular focus on the 2 times, 10 times and 5 times tables using the Times Tables Rockstars online programme.  They will also be finding fractions of shapes and amounts. We will challenge their learning by finding ⅓ and ¾ of shapes and amounts. 

This half term, children will further consolidate their ball skills through careful control, balance and coordination. They will learn skills of moving, dribbling and passing a ball to maintain possession.

This half term, the children will learn about the life cycles of animals and humans.  They will also learn about the what living things need to survive in different habitats.

In computing, the children will be coding using Purple Mash.  They will be exploring how to create sequenced programs using a variety of events and timers. 

In history, children will be learning about how children’s lives are different today compared to in the past.  Using Dr Barnardo as an inspiration, the children will look at human rights in the past and how they championed equality for the rich and poor, specifically children. They will then explore what happens when people don’t have access to the same rights and what we can do to help them.  

The children are learning about people in the community and their roles in looking after the environment. They will also begin to understand how democracy works in school. 

Children will be listening and responding to different genres of music.  They will learn to sing songs, improvise along to the music using instruments and perform their own compositions.

• PE every Monday and Tuesday

• Little Wandle reading books are changed every Tuesday and Thursday.  Reading for pleasure books are changed every Friday.

• Homework books are collected every Friday.

• Drop and Read session take place every Friday from 8:35-8:50 am. All parents and carers are welcome to join in with reading.

• Tuesday 19th March:  Parents Evening

• Thursday 21st March:  Parents Evening

• Wednesday 20th March - Battersea Park Zoo trip 

• Wednesday 27th March - Year 2 Class Assembly 

This half term, our core books are ‘Hermelin: The Detective Mouse’ by Mini Grey and ‘The Day the Crayons Quit’ by Oliver Jeffers. We will build on our learning following on the themes of resilience and determination and identifying what it means to have a growth mindset. The children will be exploring the features and structure of a newspaper article. The children will learn about persuasive writing, and how to persuade an audience. They will also learn how to write direct speech, using inverted commas. They will be looking at synonyms we can use for said and eventually write their own persuasive newspaper article, inspired by the writing of Hermelin: The Detective Mouse. When exploring ‘The Day the Crayons Quit’ the children will use their knowledge of rights and responsibilities to write a letter expressing their thoughts and feelings. 

In RE this term, the children will be learning about Islam and the core beliefs of  Muslims. They will explore sacred and inspirational writings within the Qur’an and will also learn about important customs and artefacts within the Muslim community. They will also visit Croydon Mosque to learn different features of a mosque and reflect on the similarities and differences of a mosque compared to other places of worship that they have learnt about or know about.

We will focus on a range of learning behaviours and the reading strategies of predictions, making connections and  inferring. The texts will have cross curricular links to our learning and the children will read, discuss and explain their ideas and record their opinions based on evidence in the text. 

In art, the children will create their own watercolour painting of a British landscape (linked to our geography topic) in the style of the artist Sally Morgan.  They will learn how to create different shades of colour and will experiment with creating different lines, strokes and textures.  

This half term Year 2 will be focusing on money, multiplication and division.  Children will learn how to count money in pounds and pence and  will learn how to make a given amount in different ways.   They will also learn how to compare different amounts of money and calculate change. In multiplication they will be looking at equal groups and how many lots of. Children will use arrays to support their learning and understanding. The children will build on their understanding of repeated addition to enhance their understanding of multiplication. When dividing, Year 2 will use repeated subtraction and understand sharing and grouping equally. Please continue to support your child to explore multiplication and division involving the 2 times, 10 times and 5 times tables using the Times Tables Rockstars online programme. 

This half term, children will be learning gymnastics  They will explore how to balance and sequence and coordinate gymnastic  moves with  partners or a group.  They will also play a variety of problem solving games where they will learn how to work effectively as part of  a team.

Children will learn about animals and humans and what rights they have and are needed to help them survive.  They will explore what makes a healthy diet, and investigate the impact of exercise. The children will also investigate the importance of hygiene.

In computing, children will learn the difference between a tally chart and pictogram.  They will learn how to group objects by attributes and then create pictograms and tally charts using Purple Mash on the computer to present data they have collected.

In geography, children will recall capital cities and the four countries within the United Kingdom.  They will also be identifying some human and physical features of the UK and will compare and contrast the four countries to identify similarities and differences between them.

This term, children will learn about safety and the changing body. Children will learn how to remain safe online and what to do if something makes them feel uncomfortable. They will also understand the difference between a secret and a surprise. They will begin to understand the concept of privacy and the correct vocabulary for their body parts. Children will also learn how to keep themselves safe near roads and how to be safe around medicines.

Children will be listening and responding to music.  They will learn to sing songs, improvise along to the music using instruments and perform their own compositions. 

• PE every Monday and Tuesday

• Mosque Trip on Wednesday 17th January 

This half term, our core book is ‘Drawn Together’ by Min LE. “When a young boy visits his grandfather, their lack of a common language leads to confusion, frustration, and silence. But as they sit down to draw together, something magical happens—a shared love of art and storytelling enable the two to form a bond that goes beyond words.” Another text we will explore is ‘The Dark’ by Lemony Snicket. A wonderful story about conquering your fears!

These core texts focus on the themes of empathy and understanding. Both deal with overcoming uncertainties and difficulties. Children will learn about the Zones of Regulation and will focus on our relevant Character Skills to explore and discuss their own feelings and emotions. Children will write their own poem, character  and setting descriptions inspired by the core texts.

In RE this term, the children will be learning about the significance of religious festivals such as Hanukkah and Christmas. They will also reflect on spiritual and moral values within religions and how these relate to their own lives. 

Children will continue to practice decoding, prosody and comprehension during daily reading sessions.  They will also begin to learn a range of reading strategies and learning behaviours starting with predicting. Children will learn to answer questions using the text as evidence and explore answering different types of questions. 

In math, children will focus on addition and subtraction using a range of  concrete resources such as counters, ten frames and Rekenreks.  They will learn how to add and subtract up to two 2-digit numbers across ten.  Children will then use their knowledge of place value and addition and subtraction in order to find missing numbers in calculations.  Children will continue to develop their mathematical language and will be encouraged to use this when talking about their learning.  Please support your child to explore multiplication and division by practicing their 2, 5 and 10 times tables on Times Tables Rockstars.

During indoor PE, children will be developing their social skills by playing games that require problem solving and collaboration.  Outdoor sessions with our coach will be  learning how to hit a ball with a racket in order to be able to progress to having a rally with a partner.    

This half term, children will continue to learn about properties of materials and research John McAdam, the inventor of tarmac. They will make predictions on the suitability of materials for a runway and will carry out a simple test to observe and record which material a vehicle travels the furthest distance on.

In computing, children will learn how to design  algorithms and debug programs they have created.  In online safety, the children will learn how people can act differently online compared to in the real world and where to get help when needed.

In history, children will be using a range of primary and secondary resources to research the different modes of flight through history. Children will identify the similarities and differences between the Wright brothers’ plane and modern day planes. They will also create a timeline of key events during the history of flight and investigate significant figures such as Amy Johnson and the Wright brothers and how they have influenced modern day flight.  

In PSHE, children will focus on their health and well being including how to manage their emotions, the benefits of physical activity and how to keep their bodies and minds healthy.

Children will be attending music lessons with a qualified music teacher, who will teaching children to listen and respond to music.  They will learn to sing songs, improvise along to the music using instruments and perform their own compositions.

• Tuesday 7th November - Lantern festival workshop with Wilderness Trust

• Tuesday 21st November - Drama 4 All workshop 

• Friday 24th November - Inset Day (school closed to all pupils)

• Tuesday 28th November - Parents Evening 3:45pm - 7:15pm

• Thursday 30th November - Parents Evening 3:45pm - 5:30pm

• Thursday 7th December - Christmas Jumper Day

• Thursday 14th December - Elm Class Assembly @ 8:50am

• Wednesday 20th December - Christmas Lunch (pupils can wear a festive jumper)

• Thursday 21st December - Whole School Carol Concert 

In reading, children will take part in daily phonic sessions recapping letters and sounds to ensure these are embedded to support their reading and spelling. Children will also be reading daily, either with an adult or within a small group to consolidate their phonics learning and develop their reading fluency and understanding of the text.   

Our focus this half term is art. Children will be inspired by the core text ‘Izzy Gizmo’ to create a piece of relief art in the style of Hike Macintyre. Relief is a sculpture method where materials are raised off a background and the material they will be using is clay.  They will use a variety of tools to imprint a design on the background.  Then they will mould and shape pieces of clay to make cogs, which will be bonded to the background using a score and slip technique.  Children will evaluate their final sculpture to identify what went well and what they would change.

In maths, children will initially be revising their skills and knowledge of place value, addition and subtraction in Year 1. Furthermore, they will expand their understanding of mathematical vocabulary, develop their problem solving and reasoning skills. This will be achieved through application of these skills in daily challenges and investigations. In mental maths, children will be counting forward and back from any number, counting in 2s, 5s and 10s to 100 and revising number bonds to 10. 

They will also focus on multiples of 10 to recall umber bonds to 20 and 100 using practical resources such as number lines, counters, Numicon and ten frames. Children will continue to develop their mathematical language daily; they will be encouraged to use new vocabulary when talking about their learning and the patterns that they can spot. 

This half term, children will be playing games that require problem solving and teamwork.  During indoor PE sessions children will be focusing on coordination and balance.  They will learn new balancing positions and practise holding them for a longer period of time. 

This half term children will be learning about uses of everyday materials. They will explore materials and their purposes. This will lead them on to understanding and investigating materials with similar properties. Children will develop scientific thinking and extend their vocabulary when planning and completing a comparative test to decide the suitability of materials for a particular purpose.

In computing, children will learn about how IT can be used safely and in different ways in the world around us.

In PSHE, the children are learning about building positive and healthy relationships. They will be reflecting on their friendships and explore how to solve problems when they occur. The children will learn about belonging and treating themselves and others with kindness and respect.

Art

Please can your child bring in a spare shirt or top (adult size is fine)  for when we do art. This will help us to ensure they don’t go home too messy. 

PE Kit

Children have PE twice a week, with a session every Monday with a sports coach and another session on a Thursday. Children should wear their PE kit to school on these days. Please ensure all items are clearly labelled with their full name. 

• Monday 18th September - Year 2 Meet the Teacher Meeting

• Thursday 5th October - Reading Learning Together Morning (8:50am - 9:30am)

• Friday 20th October - Show Racism a Red Card (wear something red)

• Friday 20th October - Break up for half term

• Monday 30th October  - Autumn 2 term beings